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How not to serve Steve Jobs a Samsung Galaxy Tab ad

AUGUST 17 2011 LONDON – Struq, the ad personalisation and optimisation platform, announced today the launch of the WHO engine, a core piece of technology able to predict with 80% accuracy the probability of a specific user clicking and buying a product or service through a Struq ad.

The question of frequency capping is becoming increasingly problematic for online advertisers. Successful online advertising requires reach and impact however potential customers can soon begin to feel “stalked” by an ad if it is served repeatedly, especially if it is irrelevant to them. “Stalking” occurs when users are not in market for an advertiser’s services but are served display ads regardless.

Building on the technology that underpins Struq’s Creative Optimisation Engine, the WHO engine is a matrix factorisation algorithm that uses Bayesian filters to process 8.1 billion data points in real time to predict the probability of a user clicking on a Struq ad and buying the product or service.

Struq’s WHO engine has shown an 80% level of confidence of predicting user behaviour correctly. This means that when Struq predicts a user’s behaviour, the actual subsequent behaviour of the user will match Struq’s prediction 80% of the time. The benefit to Struq’s clients is that 4/5 of the ads that Struq serve will reach in-market customers who are most likely to click and buy through a Struq ad.

The WHO engine assigns each individual user with a score which is used to determine the probability of that individual buying a product or service through a Struq ad. This technology means that impressions are not wasted on users who are not in market for the particular product or service advertised and enables advertisers to advertise more accurately and efficiently by focusing solely on the most profitable users. When combined with Advanced Creative Optimisation, the WHO engine ensures that, through personalised frequency capping, the end user will no longer repeatedly be shown irrelevant ads – Steve Jobs would not receive ads for the Samsung Galaxy Tab – so they will be more receptive to the relevant, personalised ads they are subsequently served. This translates into £19 revenue on every £1 spent by a Struq client, and enhanced brand value and recognition as customers associate the client with quality, relevant ads.

The WHO engine is core to Struq’s proprietary advanced technology. It is available to Struq’s client base and is compatible with every Struq ad in every format. As Sam Barnett, founder and CEO of Struq, explains “the success of a campaign depends on understanding what the customer wants and being able to deliver this when, where and how they want it. The technology behind the WHO engine enables Struq to do this and exceed their clients’ expectations in an unprecedented way.”

August 17, 2011

The Fundamental problem that the US and EU legislators tried to address – online user control – is yet to be solved by the industry

In response, the Struq AD PAD provides meaningful controls for users to customise their online advertising experiences within the display ad, instilling user-confidence and creating positive brand experiences

The new ‘cookie regulations’, which come into force in the UK on 26 May 2011 are woefully ill-thought through, unenforceable until clarification is issued detailing how to comply with the law, and fundamentally fail to address the key issue on which they were founded – user control. Research shows that users want control. 75% cite ‘more control’ as one of the key desires they have of online advertising* and 61% of those users opting-out of Struq ads, cite ‘lack of control’ as the reason*. Whilst the OBA (Online Behavioural Advertising) framework is crucial in providing a benchmark for conducting business and moving out of a potentially debilitating situation for users, advertisers and publishers alike, we should not look to the IAB to provide the long-term answer to meeting the needs of users. Instead, Struq has been innovating in this space to create an environment where users can control the content of their ads themselves, directly within the ad.

The Struq AD PAD is the industry’s first interactive banner ad widget that allows users to truly customise the content of their online ads and exercise control over their advertising preferences and privacy settings within the ad itself. If a user sees an ad they don’t like, they can click on an icon in the corner of an ad, to access their AD PAD. Here they can delete specific products within their ads, delete single brands, access detailed information on what data is collected and how it is used – and opt out of interest-based advertising altogether within the ad. For users, this in-ad control delivers more relevant and useful advertising. For advertisers this delivers a positive brand experience and deeper brand engagement. Through the Struq AD PAD, brands can be sure that their online advertising is creating the best possible brand experience with their audience.

By providing users with meaningful control over their data, Struq believes it will make having anonymous data tracked more attractive than opting out – as users will benefit from more relevant and useful advertising. “Online advertising has been lagging far behind the user evolution of web behaviour”, says Sam BARNETT, CEO, Struq. “Take homepages as a prime example of this, where consumers can control their feeds, news and multimedia content. Clearly, customising the web is taken for granted as consumers online behaviour becomes increasingly sophisticated – so why should ads be any different? Cookies are fundamental to the way the modern open social web functions; customisation is intrinsic, making the web experience more relevant, more intuitive and more useful. When used in ads, users benefit from more a relevant online experience overall”.

“Instilling trust is key here”, adds BARNETT, “The future of this industry lies in delivering positive brand experiences through relevancy and user control. The Struq AD PAD is the next phase of delivering positive brand experiences for users, and driving innovation of the display ad format, and ultimately delivering continued unmatched performance for advertisers”.

Try the Struq AD PAD here

Struq was founded with the vision to deliver unmatched performance for advertisers and is now the industry’s most advanced targeting technology and optimisation platform. Struq’s clients achieve an average return of up to £19 in post-click sales for every £1 spent.

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* Yahoo! Digital Memories, 2009

** Struq Opt-Out data Jan- Mar 2011

May 25, 2011

Square Mile picks the City’s most promising talent

Sam started his innovative advertising company, Struq during the start of the credit crisis with just £2,000 in start-up capital. Three years later and leading brands such as Adidas and EasyJet use his advanced advertising technology. Struq has been named by the Wall Street Journal as one of the top ten innovators across Europe. Sam been shortlisted for Young Entrepreneur of the Year and is one of the Courvoisier Future 500 ‘Rising Stars.

http://www.squaremile.com/features/7768/Square-Mile-picks-the-City-s-most-promising-talent.html

April 1, 2011

Press

How not to serve Steve Jobs a Samsung Galaxy Tab ad

The Fundamental problem that the US and EU legislators tried to address – online user control – is yet to be solved by the industry

Square Mile picks the City’s most promising talent

Finalist for the Best Advertising or Marketing Tech Startup at the Europa Awards 2010

Smarta interview with Sam Barnett of Struq on starting up during recession

Growing Business, Struq: Sam Barnett – Young Guns 2010

The Telegraph, Milo Yiannopoulos on how Struq’s complex advertising technology is becoming hot property.

NMA, Struq’s CEO, Sam Barnett on how personalised ads brings fresh opportunities for greater creativity

Struq in Marketing Week “The Hunt just became personal”

Sam Barnett Shortlisted for Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2009

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